Sudan political detainees released

A number of political detainees including opposition figures who were arrested as part of a major crackdown last month were released after more than a month in detention. It is unclear whether any were actually charged. Some detainees had spent more than two months in detention.

The head of the National Intelligence and Security Services, Mohammed Atta, said 80 detainees would be released ahead of Eid Al-Fitr holiday which follows the holy month of Ramadan, which ends on Sunday 19 August.

Sudan arrested hundreds of opposition members and youth activists following the outbreak in mid-June of intermittent but widespread protests.

Atta said that the release of the detainees, which was done at the behest of President Omer Al-Bashir, comes despite the existence of "plenty of evidence" proving their involvement in "inciting hatred against the state".

The released detainees include Kamal Omer, the political secretary of the Islamist Popular Congress Party (PCP) who was arrested on 8 July, Mohammed Dia Al-Din, the spokesperson of the Baath Arab Socialist Party (BASP), lawyer activist Sati Al-Haj and Faisal Shabo of the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP).